


Welcome to the Crying Game (Where You Lose Your Soul)

by Warriorsqueen



Series: All I Want is to Love and be Loved [1]
Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV), Captain America (Movies), Marvel (Comics), Marvel 616, Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), X-23 (Comic)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Darcy is Laura, Darcy is a cover story as well as a seperate identity, Demisexuality, Dimension Travel, Dissociative Identity Disorder, F/M, Identity Issues, Mental Health Issues, Minor Body Horror, Soulmate-Identifying Marks, well its sorta DID
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-01-04
Updated: 2015-08-31
Packaged: 2018-03-05 06:37:40
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 13
Words: 14,790
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3109799
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Warriorsqueen/pseuds/Warriorsqueen
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Laura Kinney is an assassin- a perfectly trained weapon. So then why is she playing helpless intern and docile soulmate? Why is she hiding? And why did fate give her the winter soldier as a soulmate?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This takes place for Laura at the beginning-ish of the Logan Legacy #2 (which takes place after the All-New X-Men arc in the ultimate universe). For people not really reading comics, that means wolverine is dead, and Laura isn't taking it well, so she went off to find herself. There's lots of direct references to various comics in this chapter, but that likely won't be the case going forward, so if that is off-putting just hang on!  
> This is completely unbeta'd, so all blame for how clunky this chapter is goes to me.

     Laura Kinney was never a “normal” person. She had been created as a clone for Weapon X. The man she was a clone of was a sometimes-leader of the X-men. She had metal bonded to claws in her hands and feet at age 7. She was an assassin at age 12. Then she joined the X-men at some point after. She was a student of the Jean Grey School, a student of the New Charles Xavier School, and a student of the Avenger’s Academy. She was a member of the X-Force Strike Team. She had been a member of numerous different X-Men teams. And she had run off on her own.  
     It was not questioned why she had left. Living with her X-Men team in the abandoned Weapon X facility, Laura was still mourning and they all knew that. But they had expected her to come back. She was planning to (someday) come back. But it seemed fate had other plans.  
     Laura knew that to travel on her own in the way she was hoping to would require fake documentation. So she got the documents in a bar near the border before she left Canada. A fake name, saying she’s just a college age girl from California (New York would have been better, but new york has different levels of suspicion)  
Soon she was just traveling calmly past the border down into the US. Traveling aimlessly through the midwest. She soon ditched the car she was using (stolen) for a motorcycle she found (really stolen). And wasn’t long before she found a mutant community.  
     It appeared when she was traveling through somewhere in the midwest? The community itself resided in what looked like a rural farming community. But in reality, it was an eclectic collection of runaways, especially ones which extremely physical mutations. Laura immediately thought of the Morlocks.  
     The group adopted her very quickly. She didn’t ask her mutation, and she felt no need to show her claws. That was, until she tried to leave.  
     In the few days she was present in the community, Laura had been widely accepted. She helped in the community kitchen and soon gained a few friends. One of these new friends was Nina, one of the members of the leadership council. Nina’s mutation gave her control over the physical appearances of other people. Laura had asked Nina to change herself- and she did. Laura’s toed muscles were hidden under softer layers of fat. Her hair was not curly, with one blue and one yellow streak. For the first time in her life, Laura had curves- wider hips, bigger breasts, larger waist. Body-wise, she couldn’t be recognized as any sort of assassin. Instead, she looked like one of the girls Laura had seen hanging around new york with fake glasses and a Starbucks. But she was hidden- it may have been within her own skin, but she was hidden.

     But after two weeks, Laura was ready to move on. After everyone went to bed, she gathered her few belonging into a backpack and headed out. When she approached the edge of the almost-town, Laura saw figures waiting for her. But when she got close, she recognized the figures. It was the 3 members of the leadership council. Nina stood with her hand on the last figure’s shoulder- a young girl around the age of 7 or 8.  
     It was nina that spoke first. “Laura. The council has declared- always declared- that none may leave here. We cannot allow the knowledge to authorities, human or otherwise.” Laura responded by allowing her claws to extend from her knuckles, the metal coating catching the light.  
     One of the other figures shook their head. “Now we can’t let you leave, but we _really_ can’t let you stay here. You’re one of the X-Men. There’s no way you wouldn’t tell them about us and there’s no way you’d ever stay against your will.”  
     Nina give a smile that reminded Laura strongly of her sort-of brother Daken. “Well it looks like we’ll have to deal with you our way. Mia?” Nina looked down at the little girl. “Are you ready?”  
     The little girl-Mia- nodded her head. “Yep. See the numbers, grab a number, throw the number.”  
     Nina patted her shoulder. “That’s right. Do you have a number ready?”  
     Mia gave a little smile. “Yup! It’s a big one, with lots of nines.”  
     Laura took a step forward. Then Mia began to glow. The air around Laura grew cold. Mia threw her hands forward. And Laura’s vision shot to black. But she wasn’t unconscious. What was happening?  
—  
     When Laura’s vision came back, she found herself sitting in a field. Her bag was-thankfully-still on her back. And the bag still had the fake documentation she gotten back in Canada.  
     So she walked. And walked. And walked. Until she found a road. Then she hitchhiked to the nearest town. Where she found a library. Where she found a computer and googled X-Men. And found no results.  
     Laura’s hands almost shook as they dropped from the keyboard. Regaining confidence, she googled Charles Xavier. And almost nothing. He existed though, and that was almost enough. But the Xavier Institute didn’t.  
     She googled the Avengers. Nothing.  
     Tony Stark. Only a drunk billionaire.  
     Thor. Apparently hadn’t hit earth yet.  
     Hank Pym. Just an old scientist-much older than she remembered.  
     Captain America. He existed. A legend. But had been missing in action.  
     Laura let out a breath she didn’t know she was holding. She was in another universe. Again. She had no way of getting back- the mutant who sent her over wouldn't have her powers in this universe. Because the reality she was in didn’t have mutants. They didn’t have heroes at all- yet.  
     But it was the one world where she might have a chance to start over. To have a regular, human life. No killing, no being forced into anything. To make herself who she wanted to be.  
     Laura pulled out the fake documentation in her backpack and looked closely at the name on the passport.   
     Darcy Lewis.  
     She could become Darcy Lewis. Darcy Lewis would be open and welcoming. Darcy Lewis would be confident and take complete control of her life. Darcy Lewis would have friends who liked her and have people who wished they were her. Darcy Lewis would never let anyone pity her. Darcy Lewis would be everything Laura Kinney could never be. 


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok the response to this story has been AMAZING. Like within less than 24 hours, this is by far my most popular story on here. Like, wow. Thank you all so much for liking what I did so far!  
> Alright now for something completely different. This chapter has a fairly large time skip from the last one, but we'll eventually find out where Laura/Darcy has been and what she's doing. But for now, here you go!

     Darcy Lewis was stressed. It was finally the day that she and Jane were moving into Stark Tower and it scared the shit out of her. Not the moving part. That part was pretty ok, in fact it was kinda a relief. But the part that Darcy was afraid of was the Stark Tower part. Well, even more specifically it was the Stark part. She had- generally- tried to avoid meeting the avengers and doing so when living in the tower would be _extremely_ suspicious.  
     Besides Thor, these avengers had never met Darcy Lewis. But Darcy-no, Laura- had known other Avengers. The other Captain America had hunted her down, arrested and interrogated her, then snuck her out of SHIELD’s ownership. The other Black Widow had recommended her to the Avengers Academy and had recruited her for a personal off the books mission not long before she left the X-Men (and could almost have been considered a friend. Almost). The other Hulk had attacked the school and she had stabbed him in the eyes with her foot claws.  
     But Darcy wasn’t Laura. At least, not anymore. But even still being found out as a former assassin could be very, very bad. And living around other former assassins would definitely mean she had to be careful. And being always monitored by Stark’s AI meant she couldn’t use her claws for anything ever. Maybe the bathrooms would be unmonitored? She’d have to ask.   
     “Are you ready?” Jane’s voice broke Darcy out of her brooding (Laura broods, Darcy does not. And Darcy is not Laura).  
     “Nearly! I just need to finish getting my makeup!” Darcy opened her now-empty closet and looked at the last thing on the floor. Sitting the was the backpack she had arrived in this dimension with. And inside were the last things of her past. Her old X-Men uniform (there was no way that still fit), her original Darcy Lewis passport and id, Sarah Kinney’s old letter, and the few photographs she had of herself when she was Laura.  
     Darcy picked up the backpack and shoved it into the final cardboard box in the room. She quickly rolled her shoulders and neck before picking up the box. Showtime.  
     “I’ve got the last box. Are the rest downstairs?”  
     Jane muffled voice came through the doorway “Yep! Now come on!”  
     Darcy rolled her eyes. “I’m the one usually telling you to hurry up. Someone seems to be excited to get back to her science. Or to her boyfriend. Or both.”  
     Jane laughed, “Well maybe. But our transport arrived and they're waiting down at the curb. They’re almost done packing our stuff into the car so we need to go!”  
     “Really? Transport? All the words to use and you use transport? You really have been spending too much time with Thor lately.”  
     Darcy made it to the elevator with her box and Jane stepped in with her. Jane had a wide grin on her face that Darcy couldn’t help but share. When they reached the curb, Darcy was shocked at Natasha and Steve loading to boxes into the van. She was expecting at least a little more time before she had to interact with the people most llikely to catch on to her secret.   
     “Here, let me take that for you.” Darcy nodded and murmured a thanks, hoping she came off as starstruck and not terrified. She could hear Jane giggling. Oh good. Really starstruck looking then.  
     “You girls ready to go.” Darcy turned to Natasha, who was very much watching her. Darcy gave a wide smile.   
     “Absolutely. Who wouldn’t be excited to move in superheroes? I mean, I’m getting a new place _and_ a pay raise. Not being excited would be insane.”  
     Natasha seemed to not be suspicious of her response, so Darcy let go of the fear she was holding. (Darcy has no reason to be nervous, just excited. Laura would. But Darcy is not Laura.)  
     During the car ride to the tower, Darcy babbled. She knew nobody was listening, which made it all the easier to ramble about nothing. So she talked about her favorite tv shows, that club she went to a few weeks ago with the drag queens, and about how fun it is to people watch during Comic Con. The ride seemed to take forever, but they eventually arrived at Stark Tower (in the fancy secret underground parking too).  
     Darcy moved to get the boxes, but Steve insisted that they head straight up and meet the team.  
     The elevator ride was a lot quicker than Darcy thought it would be. Then it opened up to the main common room where all the avengers were waiting. All of them, like even war machine and the falcon. And most terrifyingly, the winter soldier. The winter soldier was intimidating back when she was Laura, but this winter soldier was even more terrifying.  
     Jane ran to Thor right away and was swept up into a kiss. Darcy was only slightly jealous of the perfection of their relationship. They had fallen in love right way after seeing each other’s words. Jane’s had always been special, and would change language based on whomever viewed it. Darcy had proven that by cycling through the languages she knew and watching the words change. Thor’s own words were strictly in English. "Come on, big guy. Do me a favor and don't be dead, okay?” and “Where am I? Answer me!” were an unusual set of first words, but the couple behind them had flourished.  
     Laura hadn’t ever had words on her skin. Her world hadn’t had soul-marks. Anyways, she had been created to be soulless, and had believed that to be true for a very long time. But Darcy had words, likely gained as soon as she entered the new dimension. The words were written in a blocky, yet beautiful script framing the palm of her right hand, leaving a circle in the center for the star shaped scar of the uni-power (Darcy had always just claimed it to be a fun tattoo to go with her mark. Thor was never allowed to look too closely).  
     Jane and Thor had finished their reunion make out apparently, as Thor had moved on to introductions “Friends! Come meet my Lady Jane and the Lady Darcy.”  
     As Darcy expected, the sciency ones gravitated towards Jane. Because of course, science sticks together.   
     But it was even more surprising that the first person who moved to introduce themselves to Darcy. “Sorry, I didn’t get to really introduce myself earlier. Steve Rogers.”  
     “Believe me, I know exactly who you are Captain Tightpants. I’m Darcy Lewis, official scientist wrangler and semi-official coffee guardian.”  
     Steve let out a small laugh. “Hey Bucky, get your ass over here and introduce yourself to the lovely lady.” Of course. The Winter Soldier was Bucky Barnes, Captain America’s best friend.  
     “Hey Doll. Lovely to meet you.”  
     Darcy froze. She was shaking and could feel her claws poking right underneath the skin of her knuckles.   
     Deep breath. Focus. Pull back the claws.  
     With the claws completely back in her forearms, Darcy lifted her hand. With the back of her hand placed on her forehead, the circling words were clearer than ever.  
     She gave a small smile.  
     “It looks like you’re mine, Soldier.”  
     Every face in the room turned. Every face was on Bucky. Watching for his reaction. Waiting. Steve was tense. Thor had a hand on Jane, ready to shove her out of the way. Natasha looked ready to move. And Darcy was calm. She knew they expected an attack. But she was ready.  
     Then nothing. Bucky was no longer tense. He was almost relaxed. Then he smiled.  
     “Well then, I guess you’re mine too."


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well Darcy/Laura has identity issues out the ass. Couldn't you tell?

     “I think it would be important that they take some time alone to… get to know each other.” Natasha seemed to be the first to realize what was happening.  
     The rest of the group physically relaxed.  
     “Hey, Buck, you should show the girl where her room is. And you can … talk there.”  
     Darcy rolled her eyes. Everyone was thinking that she was ready to go at him and that they’d fuck like bunnies. Clearly they didn’t really know her. Or at least they didn’t really know Darcy (They would never know Laura, and it was better that way. Because Darcy is not Laura).  
     “Alright everyone, we’re going. Don’t you all worry; I can take care of myself. Just calm the fuck down.”  
     Bucky chuckled lightly. Darcy shot him a small smile. He smiled back a wrapped his arm around her shoulders. The cool metal was shocking, but somewhat comforting. In a weird way, it reminded her of the metal covering the claws within her body. And for the first time in awhile, she was ok with that. It was something that connected her to her soulmate, even if he didn’t know it.  
     Eventually, they got to what to what seemed to be a residential hallway. Bucky pushed open the door and Darcy followed behind, her jaw falling open. She knew Stark spent superfluously, but this much on the room for the (finally being paid) intern? Insane. The bed was bigger than anything she had slept on in her entire life, and fluffier too. So she did what any sane girl would do. She ran and bellyflopped onto it.  
     After laying in sheer enjoyment of the fluff, Darcy rolled over and looked at Bucky.     He was now standing at the foot of the bed, looking like she was an adorable puppy.   
     Darcy raised her arm and beckoned him, “Come on let’s chat. It’s fluffy enough for both of us on here.” He chuckled, moving to sit on the bed next to her.   
     “So you’ve seen my soul mark. Where’s yours?”  
     Bucky shifted, almost uncomfortably. “My forearm. It appeared sometime between missions, when I was in Cryo. I-“ He stopped.   
     Darcy realized that this was not a good path to follow. He was still finding himself, and Hydra memories were probably not a good idea for the first conversation with his soulmate. So she reached over and looked at the words. Just as she had said. 'It looks like you’re mine, Soldier’ written in her hurried scrawl. She slowly traced the words with her finger. It was the proof that they each had a soul- something she knew he must have wondered about at some point. It was something she had struggled with for a very long time.   
     And she wanted to talk about it. To explain that she knew how he felt. To show that he could never hurt her. That he would never have to protect her. That she knew what it felt like to be used as a weapon. But she couldn’t.  
     So Darcy remained silent, and continued to slowly stroke the words on Bucky’s scarred arm.  
     “They tried to remove it. Hydra.” She looked at him, his eyes holding the sadness he seemed so afraid to otherwise express. “They cut the skin and burned the spot with fire and acid, but still your words remained. They almost had that arm removed as well, but they decided it was too much of a liability to have an asset with two metal arms.” He spat the word asset like it was a personal enemy. And it probably was.   
Darcy remembered using her claws to tear the skin of her palm, trying to get the words off. She remembered burning her hand to char, and having the words reappear as the skin healed.  
     “I...understand” She spoke softly, emotion filling each word. “I don’t know how I would have felt put in a position like that.”  
     Bucky reached over and grabbed Darcy’s hands, turning to look her directly in the eyes. “Your words helped me. After I left Hydra, when I was trying to find myself… That was the first time I had ever really seen it, and it was something that was mine. It wasn’t something from my past; it wasn’t something anyone had given me. It was mine. And it promised a future. A future where I was someone else’s, but someone who cared”  
     Darcy dropped her gaze, feeling tears beginning to sting at her eyes. She wanted desperately to say how the words had helped her. How the words had given her proof of her soul. How that had shown that the new dimension wasn’t a complete hell. And that there was someone who could possibly love her- fully and completely. And that she also was afraid of belonging to someone, even in this way.  
     But she couldn’t say those things, no matter how much she wanted to.  
     “I...“ Darcy couldn’t find the words to say. “I’m glad I didn’t use a cheesy pick-up line then. I seriously considered doing that for a while, but clearly I didn’t. It’s probably for the best that way.” The cheeky smile on her face felt fake and forced. But Darcy made jokes in situations like that, while Laura would simply internalize the pain (and Darcy is not Laura).  
     The pause was awkward. The silence held in the air between them, and they couldn’t seem to meet each other’s gaze.  
     Then Darcy sighed. “Ok we’re soulmates, I get it. But can we just start by being friends? I’m finding this awkward, and I _know_ you’re finding it awkward as well. We barely know each other, yet we’re expecting each other to immediately be the perfect partner. I know the immediate love thing works for most people, but I really feel like I should know you first.”  
     Bucky let out a deep breath. “Doll, that’s the second best thing you’ve said to me.” He sat up and turned towards her. “Since, our first meeting got a little crazy, we never had a proper introduction. I’m James, sometimes referred to as the Winter Soldier, always called Bucky.”  
     Darcy giggled, “Well I’m Darcy, with no nicknames or codenames”   
     Her brain wanted to scream at him the truth. That her name was Laura Kinney, that her codename was Talon (but nobody ever used it) and that she had been officially designated X-23 by the Facility. But she couldn’t. Because she was Darcy (and Darcy is not Laura).


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry the wait was a bit longer this time. I'm not a super fast writer, and I was stuck for a bit on what I wanted to do.  
> And now for bonding, music, and more identity issues!

     Darcy got into the routine of Stark tower very quickly. Wake up, breakfast with Jane and Thor, get Jane to the labs, leave to get dressed and coffee, get coffee for jane, sit and watch science, get lunch for herself and Jane, convince Jane to eat the lunch, sit and watch more science, retrieve dinner, convince Jane to eat again, watch more science, then finally drag Jane away from her science and to bed. Even still, Darcy found time (mostly during the science) to explore the other areas of the tower. She had discovered the other labs (locked by Jarvis), the best staff cafeteria (on the 19th floor, near the law office), and, most importantly, she found all the gyms and workout rooms. She had asked Jarvis which was least used and explored it. It was on the floor below hers, which was an unused residence floor. And today, she was finally going to go use it.  
     Jane had been fed breakfast and was off working, which gave Darcy her free time. She took her iPhone (yeah Stark payed her bills, but she was an apple slave and admitted as much) and headed down to the unused gym. Once she got there, she pulled off the sweatshirt she was wearing to reveal a loose-fitting tank top underneath. As she bent over to take off her shoes, Darcy paused.  
     “Jarvis, can you cut video in here? I would really prefer if there wasn’t a video record of this for the others to laugh at.”  
     “Of course Miss Lewis. Audio recording must remain though, for safety.”  
     Darcy smiled and finished pulling off her shoes and socks.   
     “That will be fine Jarvis. Can you play my playlist?”  
     “Of course Miss Lewis.”  
     Soft piano notes and a calm voice began drifting through the speakers as Darcy made her way to the center of the workout room. She stretched briefly- as an in sting more than as a necessity. And as the music began to slightly pick up, Darcy began to dance.  
     Darcy had discovered dance as a form of expression not to long after she arrived in the dimension. She had taken a dance class and had fallen in love with the movement and freedom. She had felt like her own person the most when dancing. And now, with the cameras off, she almost could be.  
     Darcy continued dancing, moving fluidly until the song ended. The next song was also slow, but had a heavier rock undertone. As the music continued to pick up intensity, Darcy allowed her claws to slowly extend from her hands and feet. When the music hit its peak, she had her claws fully extended and was dancing beyond any choreography. She was twirling and feeling alive.  
     In that moment, she was no longer Darcy, the snarky intern who hid so much of herself. She also was not X-23, the girl made into a weapon by those she hated as well as those the loved. In that dance, she was Laura, the one who defied control and who created her own self.  
     All too soon, the song ended and moved to a much angrier rap song. The song pulled at the instincts in Laura’s brain, and the dance slowly became a beautiful attack. It was less mindless now, and had become a chance to perform the motions within her muscle memory. The beat was sharp and forceful with lyrics to match, and Laura was hitting every note with her movements. It was calming and refreshing to her.  
     But even in her freedom, she wasn’t really free. As the music began to fade out, she could hear footsteps approaching the room. Darcy kept moving as though she hadn’t heard, but quickly retracted the claws back into her arms. When the next song began, she kept moving like she hadn’t seen the door open.  
     “Pause.” Darcy looked up as the music stopped. Well... She hadn’t been expecting the Black Widow to be the one to interrupt her dancing.  
     Natasha had a single eyebrow raised “I had no idea you danced.”  
Darcy shrugged “It’s a good way to get emotions out. I was minoring in dance at Culver before I had to drop out.”  
     Natasha gave a small nod. “You’re quite good. Your form was excellent. Did you have childhood training?”  
     Darcy shook her head. Natasha was tiptoeing a little close for Darcy’s liking- asking all the right questions. “No, not really. I was on the dance company in high school for a year, and was in a modern class from 8th grade to college.” A bit of a lie and a bit of the truth (she did enroll in a high school after she dimension-jumped and had been on the dance company there, but hadn’t really seen the value as an alternative to her training until college).  
     Natasha sharply nodded, before sighing softly. “I’m going to stop avoiding the point of this. James. Don’t break his heart.”  
     Darcy was surprised. “Well I don’t plan to. We’re not even really dating yet. At this point, I just want to get to know him. Maybe beyond that at some point, but not right now.”  
     Natasha raised an eyebrow, “If you’re not dating, then why are you two going out on a date tonight.”  
     “It’s not a date! OK well, maybe it is but it’s as friends! And we’re not even going anywhere, we’re just gonna stay in and watch netflix and eat pizza.”  
Natasha smiled “Well then we shouldn’t have a problem. And if he breaks your heart, I’ll fight him is you ask me to.”  
     Darcy laughed, “Don’t you worry. If he breaks my heart, he’ll have to fight me first.”  
Natasha chuckled, “Well I’ll let you have the first shot at him. I’ve heard you’re pretty good with a taser.”  
     Darcy smiled widely, before moving to collect her shoes and phone. “I am quite good a taser, but it sure as hell isn’t my only weapon.”  
Natasha laughed lowly, and Darcy joined her. Oh, she had no idea.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The songs that I described in this chapter were all ones I listened to as I wrote.  
> The first one was Take Me to Church by Hozier, the second one started out as Centuries by Fall Out Boy (I wanted a more upbeat song but whatever, I didn't specifically say a song in there), and the last one was Black Skinhead by Kanye West. If you ever want to dance like you're gonna punch someone, dance to Black Skinhead.  
> Next chapter is the date and a bit of a surprise!


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi! Sorry for taking forever, but this chapter gave me so many problems. But it's here now! Also mega thanks to shatteredshards for being a beta for this chapter. You're fantastic!

Walking out of the workout room, Darcy headed up to her room to get clean and ready. She had about an hour before Jane needed her lunch, and Darcy had the rest of the day off. (Jane had told her to take the day to prepare for her date. Darcy said she didn’t need that much time; Jane insisted.)

When she got to her her room, Darcy immediately started running water for a bath. She hadn't had the time or facilities for a bath in a _very_ long time, so it was _very_ appealing to her body.

Darcy sighed as she settled into the warm water. It was just so _nice_. Baths were a luxury she had first discovered at Avengers Academy, and this bath was even better than her first. 

She relaxed. Her mind was nearly blank, focusing on the warmth of the water (and possibly Bucky, but she wasn’t about to admit to that).

Darcy was startled when her phone buzzed with a text. Who would even text her? Anyone who would want to text her was here in the tower as well. When she saw the message, she almost dropped her phone in the water.

Darcy read the text. She read it a second time. And a third.

‘Hey, I’m in town tomorrow. We should meet up.’

Her grip tightened dangerously on the phone before stiffly typing out a reply.

‘Yes, we should. Coffee at the usual place?’

A response came almost immediately.

‘9 AM. Meet you there Petite’

Darcy put the phone down on the towels it had been laying on before and took a deep breath. OK, she had almost a full day to get ready. She could do that. However, she still had to get ready for her date with Bucky.

She sighed deeply. Bath time was over apparently.

—

A few hours later, Darcy was getting dressed which was turning out to be needlessly difficult. Should she dress in Darcy’s hipster casual or in Laura’s easy punk? Would it be better to mix the two or just hide Laura away like she never existed?

She sighed. She wanted to be Laura, she really did, but it was dangerous. She was a weapon, and revealing herself as one would be dangerous to anyone who knew. While the technology in this world was far behind what she had known, someone could just as easily create a trigger scent if the creator knew what they were aiming for. That was a risk she couldn’t afford even the possibility of, not with people she cared about in the balance.

There was a knock on the door. Darcy was surprised; it was too early for Bucky, and Jane was either still in the lab or was off doing  _something_ with Thor (no details were wanted or necessary thank you very much). 

She went to open the door for whoever it was and stood in shock. Why was Natasha here?

“Can I come in?”

Darcy nodded dumbly and allowed the spy into her room, trying not to think to hard about the secrets stashed around and that she was standing in just her bra and underwear.

“I think you should wear those dark wash jeans you wore the other day and that sweater.” Natasha was pointing at the dark burgundy sweater laying  on the bed.

Darcy wanted to reach over and kiss her. “Oh my God thank you! I’ve had so much trouble trying to figure out what to wear, I almost ripped out my hair!”

Natasha raised an eyebrow. OK, maybe ripping out hair isn’t a great frustration image.

“OK, but seriously, thanks. I’m kinda stressing out and this isn’t even really a date!”

Natasha cracked a small smile. “It’s fine. I had a feeling you might be having this kind of problem. With how few of us there are here, us girls have to stick together.”

Darcy smiled. “I know that feeling. Got any Netflix recommendations?”

“I’m a fan of action movies, but I wouldn’t do that on a first date. Do something that reveals about yourself. Something funny would be good.”

“Hmm, I think I have an idea. Do you think he’ll binge watch a show with me.”

Natasha chuckled “I think he’ll do anything you ask him to.”

—

By the time Bucky arrived Darcy was already sitting on the couch and scrolling through Netflix.

“Do you mind if watch a tv show? One of my favorite shows just got put on Netflix and I think it would be fun to watch. Show you who I am through what I like and all that.”

Bucky gave a small smile. “I trust in your taste and it’ll be interesting to see what I learn about you. What’s it called?”

Darcy smirked. Oh, he’d never even see what he could learn about her. “It’s called Orphan Black. It’s a really fascinating sci-fi show. I won’t explain the twist; I’ll leave you to be surprised.” She smiled and patted the couch next to her. “Here, come sit and we can start. I had JARVIS order the pizza a few minutes ago. I hope you like stuff on your pizza because I ordered an everything pizza.”

As her soulmate moved to join her, Darcy clicked play on the first episode. It began to play, and she leaned into Bucky and cuddled against his right arm. He tensed in surprise, but slowly unwound and relaxed. The pizza arrived almost halfway into the episode. (It was hand delivered by a smirking Clint. Darcy offered a middle finger for a tip.)

By time the third episode episode rolled around, Darcy could tell that Bucky was really into the show, but she was more nervous about what she was revealing. This was a show about clones - science fiction reflecting her own life. What made her most nervous was the character Helena: a clone raised as an assassin to kill the other clones, which was almost Laura’s own life story. Why did she choose this show again?

The episode ended with Helena’s self mutilation and Darcy could feel the unease in her stomach; that scene had always been a little too close to home. Shoving that down, Darcy turned to look at Bucky, a smile plastered on her face.

“What do you think so far?”

“I can see why you like it. Genuine humor and the seriousness of finding your identity. Sounds like the pair of us, Doll.”

Darcy smiled. Oh, if he had any idea. She clicked the remote to start the next episode.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well that was fluffy and cute, but we've also got some plot in motion. Who do you think was texting her?


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So we finally have a chapter really focusing on Laura over Darcy. Lets go see how she is!  
> Also: The locations in this chapter are a combination of real places, canon comic or movie places, and the ability of Starbucks to be everywhere.

When Darcy woke up, she realized she was still on the couch. Her mind went to the night before. She must have fallen asleep after cuddling with Bucky for a few hours. That had been _really_ nice, but she couldn’t focus on that now; she had to go get ready for her meeting.

As she moved toward her room, Darcy checked her phone, finding just a single missed text from Jane. She smiled and the scientist’s winking emoji. It always felt good to get that unspoken affection, and affection was definitely something she needed.

Once Darcy got to her room, she began stripping off her sweater and jeans, trading them for a sports bra-crop top and tight black leggings. She brushed out her hair and darkened her makeup.

Looking at herself in the mirror, Darcy had not seen herself looking so much like Laura again in a very long time. Shaking her head, she pulled on an oversized sweatshirt and combat boots. She needed to be focused, not reminiscent. No matter what happened at the meeting, she would need to be Laura and not Darcy; Darcy would not be able to do whatever was needed.

Laura grabbed the backpack she had packed the day before and slung it onto her back. She slowly rolled her shoulders. Time to go.

Walking through Stark Tower as Laura was a completely different experience. Laura saw each room strategically - entrances, exits, hiding places, what could be used as a weapon and more. Darcy would have just seen a room and the people within.

Thus when Laura accidentally bumped into Hawkeye on the way to the elevator, she stiffened immediately. Her brain instantly began devising ways to kill him - he was unarmed so most revolved around stabbing him, either killing him instantly or leaving him to bleed to death. She shook her head quickly, trying to at least act like Darcy for just a moment.

Laura gave an awkward half smile. “Sorry, I didn’t see you. I’m meeting a friend and I’m late. Gotta go!” She turned and ran the rest of the way to the way to the elevator. Once inside she took a deep breath. Hopefully that just gave the image of a frazzled Darcy and nothing else too suspicious. 

As she exited the tower, Laura put her mind on autopilot. Drop by the Starbucks in Grand Central, change out of her sweatshirt, leave the Starbucks, take the subway to Times Square, walk through shops to lose any tails, take the subway over to Columbia University, blend in with the college students, go to the Starbucks there, order and find a seat.

So there she sat, sipping at the bitter drink. She watched the people enter, completely ignoring everyone but the person directly before them in line. No matter how chaotic, the crowd remained constant and unchanging. Then Laura noticed a girl in line looking at her. Her face seemed familiar but not enough to remember, until she turned her head to expose a white streak through her brown hair. _Rogue._

Laura felt a small twinge of joy. It had been so long since she’d seen anyone who knew her for what she was, and it felt good to not hide that from someone. 

Rogue moved to sit across from Laura, a smile on her face. “It’s good ta see ya again sugah. It’s been ahwhile.”

Laura gave a hint of a smile. “It has been. I have missed your presence.”

“And ah’ve missed ya, too. And while ah now you’d love ta chat, we should get moving.”

Laura nodded sharply, standing up and slinging her backpack back over her shoulder. Rogue rose also, leading Laura out of the Starbucks and over to a nearby alleyway. Waiting there was a young girl around the age of 9. 

“Ah’d like ta introduce ya ta Illyana.”

Laura nodded sharply. Illyana Rasputin, otherwise known as Magik or Darkchilde, ruler of Limbo and mutant with the power of creating  teleporting “stepping disks.”

She also had caused Laura to be killed back when she was with the New X-Men. But just by looking at her, this Illyana seemed much more sane; it was likely had never been to Limbo at all.

“Hello Illyana. It is good to see you again. Where will we be transporting?” The young girl looked at Rogue in confusion, who just shrugged. Laura knew that the many should-be-mutants of this world knew that she was extra knowledgeable about them, but she imagined it was a little different to see it firsthand.

“I’ll be taking you to the guild headquarters in the Middle East Side. I’m not allowed to stay.” The girl spoke quietly, almost shyly. She was a lifetime different from the Illyana Rasputin that had been one of the Phoenix Five.

A glowing yellow circle appeared at their feet, slowly rising up and covering all three of the girls. When the light dissipated, they found themselves in a different alleyway. This one was dirtier and was covered in graffiti. 

“Bye Miss Laura. Bye Miss Rogue.” Illyana gave a smile and a wave before another stepping disc appeared under her and teleported the young girl somewhere else. Rogue turned to Laura. “Are ya ready? Ya know they like ta test ya first.”

Laura nodded and shrugged her bag off of her shoulders. “Please hold onto this for me. I do not need it in the way.” Rogue took it carefully.

Laura turned and headed deeper into the alley, drawing in the scents around her. The majority of the trails kept going until…here! A door on her right. Forcing in the lock with only her strength, she walked in with all her senses on alert. 

As she walked in further, she found nothing. No guns, no lasers, no weapons of any sort. No nameless grunts either. Finally she reached the end of the hallway, facing a single door. She could hear the heartbeats on the other side: three.

She extended her claws, and kicked down the door. 

There was a sudden spray of bullets hitting her arms, legs, and stomach. She even felt a few go through her head. She stood up slowly, shaking her body as the metal bullets fell and clanged against the floor. 

Laura strode the rest of the way forward and sat in the empty chair.

“I hope you didn’t mind that too much, Petite. Had to make sure it was you. But these two did go overboard. I’ll have to deal with that later.” A genuine smile. “How are you?”

Remy LeBeau. Gambit. The power to charge kinetic energy in objects. And in the other dimension, one of the people who cared about Laura the most.

“I am fine. Why did you call me here?”

Remy sighed. She could tell he didn’t want her to ask such questions right away, possibly not at all.

“There is a man, willing to pay me _very_ well if I steal something for him. And I need your help to do it.”

Laura lifted eyebrow, “Why do you need me? You have plenty of help among the powered community and the Thieves’ Guild.”

He sighed deeper. “The item is within the Stark Tower. I need you to get me in and watch my back."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All the new characters mentioned in here are mutant characters from the comics- and Laura's backstory with them is true. Magik did cause her to be killed twice (only mostly indirectly).   
> These characters are not mutants in this universe though, but they do have their powers. What do you think they are?


	7. Chapter 7

“I am confused.” Confused was an understatement. “You desire my assistance in robbing Stark Tower? You do recognize that doing so would likely result in breaking the cover I have built for myself. That they would consider me a traitor. My soulmate would likely never trust me again.”

Remy’s eyes widened at the mention of a soulmate but remained calm. “I do realize that Petite, which is why I didn’t want to involve you. But as planning went further, there’s no way to get in with involving you to some extent. “ He sighed before retrieving a deck of cards from within his coat and began to shuffle them. He extended the deck. “Pick a card.”

Laura reach forward and picked one near the middle and laid it face up on the table between them. The Ace of Spades.

“That card represents things that need to happen. That’s the card that I drew when I decided to contact you. I know it is dangerous, but fate has decided that now is the time. If you are revealed, it’s fate’s design.”

Laura nodded. She had always disliked the concept of fate, but many people better than herself believed strongly in it which was enough for her.

“What will you need me to do?”

“You will need to help us map a way in, disable security from inside, lead us to the main lab where Stark works, and protect us the entire way. You won’t kill anyone and, if everything goes right, won’t need to hurt anyone.”

“I do not know how to disable the security. The AI that protects the tower is very powerful.”

Remy chuckled. “That won’t be an issue. We have a virus that should do all the work for you. You just need to get it into the system via computer.”

“That will be no problem.”

“Now, about getting in….”

—

When Darcy got back to the tower, she was smiling wide. In order to keep her cover, she and Rogue had gone shopping after the meeting and Darcy had found herself a _very_ nice lingerie set for some time in the future.

She went straight to her room and began to put away her new clothing. Lingerie set in the drawer. Cute cocktail dress hung in the closet. New combat boots put on the shoe shelf. And the new combat suit hidden in the bottom of a Victoria’s Secret bag in the back of the (way too big) closet.

Once all her purchases were put away, Darcy headed straight for the labs. It was time for her to get to work.

The scent hit her nose before he even spoke. Hawkeye. “Hey Darcy! How was hanging out with your friend?”

She turned around slowly, a fake smile plastered across her face. “It was awesome. I’m so sorry about this morning. I woke up a little late, so I was a little worried about making her wait too long. She’s not used to big cities, and you know New York can be really intimidating to people who aren’t used to it. Hey, have you seen Jane? Or Bucky?”

He rubbed the back of his head, “Jane’s down in the lab probably. I think Bucky’s training with Tasha. You can just ask Jarvis, you know”

Darcy turned her grin wider, “I know, but it’s more interesting to fluster people. Well, I’ve got to go make sure Jane has eaten and isn’t running off of pop tarts. See ya!”

She fled to the elevator. She had some work to do, especially if the heist was going to go off as easily as planned.

Once she got down to the labs, Darcy all but ran to Jane.

“Jane, have you eaten lunch today?”

The scientist waved the question away while remaining hunched over her computer.

Darcy sighed, “If you don’t get up and go with me to get food, I’m going to unplug your computer.”

Jane ignored her. Darcy grinned slightly, “Alright then, it’s your funeral.” She walked over and knelt down at the old computer station (Jane hadn’t yet transferred all her workstations to Stark models, which was currently a major convenience) and swiftly moved the flash drive from her sweatshirt pocket to the USB port all while pulling a plug from the electrical socket.

Jane screamed in alarm “Darcy! What did you do?”

“Don’t worry bosslady, I only unplugged your monitor. The computer itself is perfectly fine. Now, let's go get some food before you pass out and actually mess up your work."

—

After hanging around the labs all day, Darcy was ready. She had spent the past few hours “supervising” science, mentally going over the plan. Then, at the appointed hour, the labs slowly emptied. Stark left for date night with Pepper, Darcy herded Jane out herself, and Bruce never liked being the only one working.

Since Darcy had played the part of a girl _so tired_ after _such_ a long day, she was free to stay in her room. Once she was there and she was absolutely sure Stark had left the building, the plan was set in motion.

“Jarvis, override code X-12-03-16. Erase all security tapes starting now. Disable security on labs and rooftop. Erase memory of commands given once the override is disabled. Ignore all commands except from my voiceprint.”

“Override and commands accepted.”

Laura quickly changed into the combat outfit stashed in the closet. The full bodysuit and gloves reminded her uneasily of what she had worn in murderworld and the mask was similar to what she had worn with X-Force, but there wasn’t time to dwell on that; she had a very specific timeframe to get everything done in.

She sent a quick “I’m so glad we could hang out today” text to Remy before pulling open the window. Tony Stark, the technological innovator that he was, hadn’t put interior stairs anywhere except for the top couple of floors, which also happened to be Avengers' residences and his private lab.

Well, no turning back. Laura allowed the claws in her hands to fully extend as she pulled herself through the open window to the exterior of the building, then she began to climb. Using her claws to climb was much more complicated when climbing metal than the brick buildings she had climbed before. Regardless, she moved quickly and calmly.

Once she got to an acceptable floor, Laura forced her way through the wall she was hanging from and retracted her claws. She quickly moved from the room she landed in (a living room? not important) to the inner stairway. She moved quickly up the stairs until she reached the roof. 

“Jarvis, open the roof access door.”

The door swung open, revealing Gambit waiting on the other side.

Neither spoke. Laura moved aside to let him in and led him down the stairs to Stark’s private lab.

The lab itself took up an entire floor and was filled with machinery Laura could only begin to comprehend. A silent nod and Gambit began searching for whatever he was looking for (Laura didn’t know it was better that way) while she positioned herself to watch the two entrances: the stairway door and the elevator.

Then Laura caught a new scent in the room.

Laura gave a short warning before the door to the stairs creaked open. A blur of red hair rushed in and Laura quickly moved to meet her: The Black Widow.

The two fought blow for blow. Slash and duck, kick and dodge. The Russian wasn’t carrying any guns, but she wielded her daggers with ease. Laura fought the urge to use her claws; nobody was going to die if she could help it. The two assassins were well matched, but Laura knew they were both holding back to some extent.

That’s when heavy metal doors slammed over the doors and windows and a gas began filtering into the room. Laura could feel her muscles begin to relax and her mind started to cloud over - a knockout gas. The Black Widow hit the ground first, out for the count. With the energy she had left, Laura looked around the room. Relief overcame her as she saw that Remy had escaped.

Then she hit the ground.

 


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright! Time for shit to go down! Also lots and lots of backstory and explanations.

When Laura came to, she found herself chained. There were shackles around her wrists and ankles; each were loosely attached to the floor of the room. The room itself was your standard interrogation room, and it was very clear that the Avengers were on the other side of the mirror.

It was in this mirror that she noticed that her mask was gone.

Her cover was blown, just as she had feared. Remy had said that fate could have wanted this to happen.

Laura sat and stared at her reflection. She breathed deeply and slowly began to move her limbs, carefully testing the strength of her restraints. They were regular metal - not adamantium or vibranium. That meant she could cut through them.

But she waited. In fact, she waited 42 minutes and 52 seconds, until the door finally opened and Captain America walked in. His scent was angry and his body language screamed "out of his depth,” but Steve Rogers kept his face serious and calm.

“Miss Lewis, you sure have a hell of a lot of explaining to do.” He slammed a small folder on the table between them. “This is your file, pulled straight from the SHIELD leak. It is noticeably empty except for a few things: the extent of your combat ability was taxing people and that you apparently didn’t exist until 8 years ago. Now, we all just saw hold your own against the Black Widow, so the combat ability is a lie. Do you want to explain the not existing part?”

“I was holding back.”

His brows furrowed in confusion. “What do you mean?”

Laura smirked, “Against Natasha. My intention was never to hurt her. I was simply a distraction. I can beat her very easily if I need to.”

“If you can beat her so easily, why did Hydra buy you to watch Jane?”

Laura scowled deeply “I am _not_ Hydra. I would _never_ be Hydra. Hydra caused me to be created and turned me into a weapon, and I refuse to be used as one again.”

The Captain’s posture shifted to very obvious discomfort. He barely met her eyes. “Then who is it that you work for? Why are you spying on us?”

“I do not work for anyone and I am not a spy.”

“Then what was the point of that heist?”

“I owed him. He helped me when I had no one else to turn to. I will not tell you his identity.”

“Then I hope you don’t mind us going through the things in your room.”

Laura shrugged. “I do not mind. I just request that nothing be damaged.”

The Captain stood up, grabbed the file, and walked out, not looking at her which left Laura alone again with her thoughts

This time the wait was only 19 minutes (and 37 seconds), but instead of the Captain returning, it was the Black Widow. What surprised her the most was when the Winter Soldier walked in (she could see in his eyes that he wasn’t Bucky right now) and took the interrogator’s seat.

“Who do you work for?”

Laura stared directly into his eyes, not breaking eye contact. “I do not work for anyone.”

“Who have you worked for?”

“Many groups. Anyone who would pay. Never directly for Hydra. Never directly for SHIELD. Never by choice”

“Who trained you?”

“The Facility.”

“What is your real name?”

She looked away. “I was given designation X-23 at birth. I adopted Talon as a codename later. But my mother gave me a real name.” She paused and regained eye contact. “My name is Laura.”

She saw the Winter Soldier facade crack ever so slightly, showing emotion (which one?) before slipping beneath the mask again.

“Are you actually my soulmate, or was that a part of your cover?”

Laura lifted her right hand and faced the soulmarked palm towards him. “It is real. I did not expect it to be anyone here. I apologize that my first words to you were a lie.”

What happened next would have been a blur to anyone else observing. The Winter Soldier reached out and grabbed her wrist, nearly fracturing the bones beneath his metal fingers. In nearly the same motion, Laura had the claws in her left hand extended and cutting the chains attaching her hands to the floor. She then rested her claws against the metal arm holding her.

“I can cut through this. I do not want to. Release me.”

“I think you should put away the blades first.” Laura turned and saw the Black Widow, who had been lurking in the corner of the room, calmly aiming a gun.

Laura snarled, but didn’t move.

“I said to put away the blades.” The Black Widow was stepping closer. “I won’t ask again.”

The claws slipped slowly back into her arm and the Winter Soldier released his grip. Laura immediately sat back and stared at the floor. Well there was one more secret gone. She had to make sure all the rest were done on her terms.

She spoke without looking up. “I want to talk to Thor. I will only speak to him.”

She continued to stare at the floor as the other two left the room. Almost immediately (1 minute and 34 seconds later), the thunder god walked in. His normally cheery face was serious.

Darcy smiled and met Thor’s eyes. “Hey, big guy. I’m going to need you to trust me just for a minute here and just let me talk. Firstly, I’m not Laura. Well I am, but not really. Like, we’re both pretty fucked up in the head and have major personality issues. It’s not quite DID, but I think it’s pretty similar. There’s two of us: Laura and Darcy. If you want to get technical about it, Laura’s the real one and I’m the cover story that went a bit too far and became almost a person. Sometimes we’re fairly merged together, but that’s really only on the worst days and I’m sorry to say that’s been pretty common recently.”

She stopped and took a deep breath. Thor opened his mouth to speak, but Darcy lifted and hand to stop him.

“Just let me keep going. Please.”

Thor nodded. She sighed.

“OK, so secondly, I want you to look at this.” Darcy lifted the hand had just been forcibly restrained by her soulmate. “I want you to look closely at the star mark and tell me if you recognize it. I know I told everyone that it was a tattoo that I added to cover the blank space on my hand, but actually it was there long before my soulmark ever appeared.”

Thor looked up at her in wonder. “This is the mark of the Enigma Force - the spirit of the universe itself. How is this upon your skin?”

Darcy gave a small smile “Have you heard of the Uni-Power? Well, it’s basically a small part of the Enigma Force that sometimes gives major power to people it thinks are deserving and in need of help. I’ve been its host twice. The first time though was really just to use my healing ability. Which brings me to my third point.”

Darcy unsheathed her hand claws, relishing in the _snikt_ sound they made. She smiled sadly at the one-way mirror.

“I’m not really human.”

She reached up and sliced her throat with her claws. The gash was wide and reached nearly all the way to the bone. Blood gushed out of the wound and down on to the front of the catsuit she was still wearing. Darcy then retracted the claws on her left hand and wiped the blood away from her throat to show the cut had already scabbed over and was fading into a freshly-healed pink line, then a faint scar, and then just flawless skin.


	9. Chapter 9

Darcy smiled at the shock apparent on Thor’s face and could only imagine the shock of all the others.

“I’m a mutant, which means I am a member of the species Homo Sapiens Superior. This is an incredibly pretentious way of saying I have a little genetic mutation called the ‘X-Gene’ which causes a manifestation of powers. My powers are retractable bone claws and a _very_ advanced healing ability. The metal on my claws is an alloy called adamantium, which is actually poisoning me, but my healing ability fixes that. The metal was bonded to my claws when I was seven.”

Darcy closed her eyes and took a deep breath. “I would go into the details of my history, but it’s really Laura’s story. I have those memories too, though, so I’ll give you the crash course. I was raised from birth to be weapon, a killer. I don’t know when my first kill was, probably when I was around 6, but my first assassination was when I was 12. When I was 15, I escaped the facility with the help my mother. Sadly, I was forced to kill her in the process. I then made my own way for a while until meeting my father, when I joined his team. I killed when I was there too, but generally I killed bad people then. Eventually he was killed, and I went off on my own. When I was off on my own, I was sent to another universe… this universe. I’m not from here. Darcy Lewis - me - came about as a cover identity for me in this universe. But because Laura completely embraced the identity of Darcy and I am so completely opposite of her, we sort of… split? Neither of us really understand what happened or even really how it happened. But we have a friend out looking for someone who could help us merge or separate or something.”

Darcy shrugged.

“But yeah. Another universe. That’s a thing that happened. And going back isn’t really an option. The mutant that sent me here probably doesn’t exist because mutants don’t exist here. And you guys clearly don’t know the Sorcerer Supreme yet, and Magik has no ties to Limbo here. So we’re stuck, and that’s the story. Anything else is Laura’s to tell.”

Thor nodded slowly, seemingly processing the information. “You did not mention what the organization the raised you was.”

Darcy nodded. “I didn’t, because as far as I know it doesn’t exist here. I was created by The Facility, which was inspired by Weapon X, which was inspired by Hydra. If I were to guess, the Facility was bankrolled by Hydra and the scientists were former members of Hydra, but I don’t have any proof of that. So as I said earlier, not _directly_ created by Hydra. But indirectly, absolutely.”

Thor nodded before quietly getting up and leaving the room. Darcy didn’t need to wait as the Black Widow marched in right after him.

“You’re essentially free to go after you answer a few more questions.”

Darcy smiled. “Sounds good! Let me hear it!”

“Can you tell us who was in the heist with you and what it was he stole?”

“I can tell you who he is, but I can’t tell you his name. In the other universe, he was Laura’s father figure - even more so than her actual father. He was kinda her conscience for a while. So once she figured out she was in another universe, she sought him out because he would very likely have connections, which he did. He set her up with a full cover story and fake records under the name Darcy Lewis. And he’s currently helping us by searching for a telepath to help us out with this 'mental split’ thing we have going on. But yeah, that’s all I can tell you for now. And no, we don’t know what he was after or who the buyer is. But I do know that it’s not any sort of weapon; I asked.”

The redhead nodded, seemingly accepting that answer before continuing with her interrogation. “We found a backpack in your room with some interesting items. The fake documents are, I presume, the ones you gained when you first… came here. Do you mind explaining the rest?”

“Sure. That backpack and its contents are the only things that came with me from the other universe. My uniform from the last superhero team that Laura was on: the X-Men. Or least _an_ X-men team. I mean, there’s quite a few teams that call themselves that these days. The photos are fairly self-explanatory. They’re just photo memories. And the bloody paper was a note from Laura’s mother. That one means a lot to her.”

“They why don’t you look anything like the girl in the photographs?”

Darcy froze and stared at the floor. She had almost forgotten the worst part of it all. When she glanced up, Lara was the one in control. “I had some superficial changes applied to my body in order to hide more effectively. Do you have a place where I may safely burn myself down to a skeleton? I would like to; it is much easier to build up from bone than regrow entire limbs.”

The silence hung in the air awkwardly before Natasha spoke again. “I think Stark will have some sort of answer for that request. What was your relationship to the Avengers in your dimension?”

“In my universe, I studied at the Avengers Academy. My… father was an Avenger. I worked side by side with you many times. Hawkeye was my teacher at the Academy. Captain America and I had an agreement that he would not turn me over to SHIELD. And I stabbed the Hulk in the eyes and blinded him. He threw me into a building. We both healed.” Laura tilted her head, much like a small child. “Does that answer your question?"

Natasha avoided the question. “One final question; where do your allegiances lie now?”

Laura met the spy’s stare. “My allegiance lies with my soulmate and with those that do not wish to use me as a weapon. I have been used too many times, both by ‘good’ and ‘bad’ people.” She glanced over at the mirror. “I believe that my soulmate feels the same as I do. I only speak for myself when I say my allegiance lies with the Avengers, so long as neither of us are used as a weapon. Allow us to make our own choices and I will be your ally. Take away that choice, and you will regret it."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Now the question is how will everyone react.   
> Would you all be interested in seeing these last two chapters from someone else's point of view? Possibly Bucky's? Basically I just want to write someone freaking the fuck out over Laura cutting her throat.


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So it's kinda been a bit since this story updated, which is a combination of real life getting in the way and writing other stories. One of those other stories is the brief side story which tells the last two chapters from Bucky's POV, as had been suggested. Two chapters are currently up, and I believe that there will be about two more.  
> And now for story progression.

When Laura was finally escorted out of the interrogation room, she was surprised to see that she was still in the tower. The structure of the room had suggested that it was located on a ground or basement level. Did Stark have secret basement interrogation rooms in his tower? That seemed distinctly unsafe.

With her escort leading the way, Laura entered an elevator and rode up the 90 or so floors to the main gathering space. She found all the Avengers were assembled there, including ‘reserve’ members Falcon and War Machine, and a few other associated people (Jane, Pepper Potts, and… Maria Hill?).

“I assume you have heard my story.” Laura spoke with a detached tone that had once been her regular speaking pattern.

Falcon scoffed. “Yeah, they gave us the crash course. You’re a member of a human subspecies from another universe, you have claws and can heal insanely fast, _a_ _nd_ you’ve been marked by some sort of magic space power.” He paused and turned towards the rest of the Avengers. “And you guys believe this shit?”

Laura raised an eyebrow. “But you do not question that I’m covered in my own blood? Or that Darcy and I are separate identities?”

The room was silent until Stark started laughing. “Yeah, well you are sounding a bit like sci-fi novel narration. On the other hand, we have proof of some of your claims. You change physically when you switch between Darcy and Laura through your posture and the way you talk. A quick look at your blood shows your evolutionary position. Thor gives credit to that universe power. And clearly,” He gestured at her clothes, “we saw your healing ability. Also, what the fuck was that display? Slitting your own throat?”

Laura smirked, “Darcy likes to be dramatic. She also wanted to show to you that almost nothing you can do to me would have any lasting mark.”

“Yeah, well fuck you. Fuck Darcy. Whatever. That was horrifying.” Stark was now sitting with his feet up on the coffee table. “Now, the real question is how can you prove that you’re not Hydra? How can you even prove that you’re from another dimension?”

“I can’t.” As Laura spoke, she turned her gaze to Bucky, the one she knew she hurt the most. “I can’t prove that anything I’ve said is true, but it is. I am Laura Kinney, born X-23. I was used in countless ways against my will. All I wish is to have my own choices and to be allowed to know my soulmate.”

“Why should we give you this chance? You already helped a thief break into my tower, steal an extremely valuable item, and you _climbed up the exterior of my building using only your claws."_

“You should give her the chance because you gave me one.” All eyes in the room turned to Bucky. “You let me be a part of the team even though you know I haven’t fully broken Hydra’s control. This is Darcy and Laura, two people in a very similar situation to mine.”

Barton snorted. “Not gonna lie, you’re here because of what you mean to Cap over there.”

“Then let them in because of what they mean to me. We’re soul mates. I need to at least get a chance to know them.”

“And I want to know him. I am trying to find myself. I will not snap and I will not fight as long as I am not threatened and am not needed. I shall leave you all to discuss, as it is clear that I can not say more to prove my point. I wish to get some food, and will be doing so.”

Laura strode back the way she came, back into the elevator. She stood quietly as she stood alone within, until she reached the floor she had been living on.

Laura went straight to her room and tried to ignore the mess that had been made by whoever went through her stuff. She grabbed clothing from the back of the closet (that Darcy never dared to wear, but bought for Laura to wear someday) then headed into the bathroom.

As she stripped out of the bloody catsuit and stepped into the shower, Laura lost herself in her thoughts. While she had revealed herself, she still held onto her secrets - Remy and the other inhumans were safe, and the Avengers had no idea she was a clone or that she had claws in her feet. However, they knew about her duality, and could help her find a telepath. Maybe Doctor Strange could help. Was he ever Sorcerer Supreme yet? He could probably eliminate a personality from her mind. But was eliminating a personality even the right choice? Could she and Darcy merge? Could they be separated? Would it even make sense to do so?

Laura scrubbed the now dried blood from her neck. Was Bucky even her soulmate? It was Darcy who had spoken the words on his arm, not Laura. Did he have a secret second mark? Did she even count as a a separate person?

Laura continued to worry as she finished washing. When she stepped out of the shower, she heard a knock on the door.

“Who is there?”

“It’s James. Uh, Bucky. I’ll wait until you’re out.”

Laura felt something flutter in her chest. Nervousness? Worry? Excitement? Emotions were never something she was good at. “I will only be a moment.”

She toweled herself dry and slipped into the her clothes. Laura wore a corseted top very similar to what she used to wear and a pair of sleek black leggings.

When Laura stepped out of the bathroom, who noticed that Bucky was sitting in the chair by the tv. He had turned towards her when the door opened and he seemed… surprised?

He then got a smile on his face. “I like your outfit. It’s different from what you usually wear, though.”

Laura shrugged, “I prefer to dress in this way. It is my own way of taking control of my choices. Darcy prefers clothing that hides her shape, so she chooses bulkier items.”

She moved to sit in the chair opposite him.

“Have they decided my fate?”

Bucky nodded. “They’re going to let you stay here, but you need to be supervised when you leave the tower. I’m currently under the same restrictions.” He paused and took a deep breath. “Stark also said that he might have a way to burn your skin off like you asked.”

Laura could tell that idea unsettled him. “I know it seems… unusual to request, but it’s something I need to do. The form of my body is not my natural one, and it is negatively affecting the mental states of Darcy and myself. I suspect it is part of why we have split to separate identities.”

She stood up and moved towards the door.

“Shall we go see see them?”

Bucky gave a small smile.


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It has been a very long time since this series has updated (almost 2 months holy shit), but I'm back now! in the mean time, I finished the side story "All Things Go," so check that out if you haven't!

Laura followed Bucky as he led her through the tower to Stark’s lab. It had changed only slightly since she fought Natasha in there; things were cleaned and reorganized, with any inventions or materials hidden away.

Waiting in the lab was Tony, Bruce, and Jane.

“Do you have a place?” Laura kept her gaze fixed on Stark, avoiding Jane as best she could.

“I do, but I have a few requirements before I let you melt yourself. Firstly, I want to do some before and after comparisons of your DNA."

Laura nodded, “That is acceptable, as long as you do not keep any samples afterwards. I heard many things from my own world about what you have done with DNA you kept samples of."

He shrugged. “I can work with that. We’ll also be observing and supervising you the entire time."

Her eyes narrowed “What do you mean by observation?"

Stark raised his arms in surrender “I’ll just be there to make sure nothing goes wrong.”He shot Bucky a pointed look. “I promise that I will not be ogling your presumably naked body. I find melting flesh to be a fairly distinct turn-off."

Laura smiled slightly, knowing that Stark would find it reassuring.

"We also all want to hear about the versions of ourselves in the other universe. Clint is especially interested."

Laura paused. “I will see what I can tell. I can not share everything, as many universes have multiple important decisions in common."

“That’s all we can ask."

He smiled and led her to a room where she could change to a flimsy medical gown, then to what appeared to be a reinforced medical examination room. There was a metal bed in the center of the room that looked similar to one found in a morgue with an elaborate robotic arrangement mounted in the ceiling above it. Beyond that and the window looking in, the room was bare. Laura entered the room and slowly lifted herself onto the examination bed. Stark entered after her and used a needle to draw some blood.

As he exited the room, Laura laid back and stared at the machinery above her. Slowly, the machinery began to unfold, revealing what seemed to be a hose with a spray nozzle.

It was then that the spray started. The acid began at her feet, eating away at the flesh and muscle. She could see the gleam of bone and metal as the clear liquid gushed down from above.

As the machine slowly worked its way up her body, Laura closed her eyes. She wasn’t strapped down, but it still felt uncomfortable, like the many times she had been captured and experimented on. She thought of the last time that had happened - betrayed by her brother Daken, captured by Malcom Colcord, then rescued by Daken. She thought of the explosion they had been caught in and how it had similarly stripped her of her skin. She thought of her family: Logan, her mother, Daken, and Megan. She thought of her friends: Warren, Scott, Jubilee, Sooraya, Cessily, Noriko, and Julian. She thought about her past, and she thought about her future. Then it turned to the present. Bucky. James. Her soulmate.

She had never met his alternate universe self so she had no idea what to expect. He was kind and gentle, but was just as broken as she was. She wanted, no, needed, to to fix her own mind, so she could help him to do the same.

The spray of melting liquid was now at her ribcage. If Laura lifted her head, she could see the the muscle reforming on her waist and legs. The melting didn’t hurt as much as she had expected. The liquid itself felt like a high-pressure shower and the exposed flesh stung from the air, but it was still better than standing through an explosion with debris.

Laura closed her eyes as the spray finally reached her head. She could feel the constant burn of the spray moving across her face.

And in a moment, it was all over. The acid spray had stopped, and she was being lightly rinsed with water. When that ended, Laura got up from the table and grabbed the fluffy towel that was hanging on the far wall (how and when did that get there?).

After drying herself off, she wrapped the towel around her body and exited the room. Stark was nowhere to be seen, but Bucky was standing in the hall. His face was full of indiscernible emotion, more than she had ever seen him express.

“How do I look?"

“Like you should. Like yourself.” Laura could feel her cheeks burning faintly.

“I should get to my room and put on clothing. It may be difficult, though, as I believe I went down a size or two."

A faint smile graced his lips as he put his arm around her to escort her to the elevator. When she reached her room Bucky left her there and closed the door behind him.

Laura dropped her towel and walked naked to the large mirror on the wall. She examined her body, noticing the little changes. She was thinner - significantly so. Darcy had been a curvy woman, while Laura had been created to be small and lithe. Her hips seemed smaller without the extra fat, and her waist was the same. She was also much paler, any hint of a tan gone. Her hair, nearly back to full length, was stick-straight and a dark black. Her muscles were prominently defined beneath her skin.

But finally, she saw herself again. She could be Laura again, not just Laura hidden away. She saw who she was, not who she was pretending to be. And if she looked really closely in the mirror, she could see Logan, too.

Laura went to her closet and hunted for anything she could find that would fit, settling on a crop top that hung loosely on her frame and a wrap skirt that tied at the hip. She assessed herself one last time in the mirror; she looked like she was going to just lounge around the house after taking a shower.

Laura smiled and headed up to the common area.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Here](http://i.imgur.com/9457Hrl.jpg) is page of the scene Laura referenced where her skin was burned off by an explosion (which is major inspiration for this chapter as well as not as gorey as you'd think). It can be found in Daken: Dark Wolverine #9, which is the end of the crossover with the X-23 solo series. See, I do my research!  
>  I'm also waiting to see what happens with Age of Ultron before I decide if that is canon in this story and where it takes place in the timeline.  
> But does anyone know of any telepaths that aren't mutants? I swear, they're all mutants. Is there one that is a mutant that you're just dying to see? I'm, uh, asking for a friend.


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So it's kinda been a bit... but I have a chapter now! Unbeta'd though, so sorry for mistakes. Enjoy!

Laura was smiling as she entered the main gathering room. The room was mostly empty, with Bucky sitting on a couch and Natasha standing with Clint at the side of the room. Bucky was reading a book, Clint was watching tv, and Natasha was observing them both.

Laura joined Bucky on the couch and slowly leaned against his shoulder. He immediately tensed up under her touch, reacting on instinct, but relaxed just a slowly as she did. They both just sat there, enjoying the bare physical contact.

Then Clint started laughing. All eyes in the room turned toward him in a glare. H raised his hands in surrender. “It’s Dog Cops! Its impossible to watch this show with no emotion!"

Natasha rolled her eyes and moved to turn off the tv. Clint protested loudly and tried to fight her for the remote.

JARVIS’s voice sounded through the room, “Miss Kinney, you are wanted in the labs."

Laura sighed lightly and eased off the couch. She walked up the few stairs that led to the labs and soon found herself with Tony and a woman she was unfamiliar with.

“Hello Laura. I am Doctor Cho. I work closely with the avengers as I am working on a cellular regeneration project that speeds healing. Tony tells me that you have the natural ability to regenerate."

Laura nodded sharply. “I do. Where I am from, it is know as a healing factor.” She extended her claws with a snikt. "It keeps me from dying of adamantium poisoning."

Doctor Cho had a look of wonder on her face as Laura retracted her claws. ”This healing factor is very interesting. May I take a sample of your blood? I’d like to compare what happens in your body with what happens with the regeneration cradle I built."

Laura narrowed her eyes “I will allow it only if you do not keep my blood on record, and once your observations are done, the sample is destroyed. I cannot allow my genetic code to ever fall to the wrong hands."

Doctor Cho smiled “That is perfectly acceptable. Would you mind me taking the samples now? I’d like to get the observations done as quickly as possible."

Laura nodded affirmatively and the doctor smiled before turning to retrieve the necessary items.

Tony cleared his throat “And as for why I called you here, we need you and Bucky to go into hiding."

Laura raised an eyebrow

He sighed “You asked to not be an avenger, so I can’t give full details. But the short is that we’re going to start going after HYDRA bases, and we can’t afford letting them know we have you or that we know where you are. Well, mostly Bucky. But if they haven’t figured it out already, finding out where Bucky is would be extremely beneficial for them. Thus, the hiding."

“I don’t like it, but I understand the necessity. Where are you sending us?"

Tony shrugged, “Not my job to know. Hill’s taking care of it. Sending you to an old SHEILD safe house I think."

“Does Bucky know?"

A smirk “He should. Steve just went to tell him"

Laura nodded. “That is acceptable. What about Jane?"

“Don’t you worry. She’s got a few talks coming up, and I will be paying for her security."

Laura felt a prick on her arm. Doctor Cho sent her an apologetic look at withdrew the needle.

Laura shot both of them a look, then headed back to her bedroom.

When she arrived, Bucky was waiting for her.

“They want us to leave.” Laura nodded. “Do you want to?"

“I do not know. I understand why they want us to, and I do think they have a very good reason. But I do not understand why it was so necessary to decide this know."

Bucky shrugged. “I suspect the main reason is you. You've refused to enter danger except for self-defense. If we stay, we’d likely dragged into their raids on Hydra. We both would cause many more casualties than they wanted."

Laura nodded, her gaze turning to the floor. “We should go. It is our best option."

Bucky leaned down to whisper in her ear “If necessary, it is easier to run from a safe house than from Avengers Tower."

Emotion swelled in her chest. She was happy to finally get time to be alone with Bucky as herself, but being ‘sent away for her protection’ was something that angered her to no end.

He pulled back and stood awkwardly straight. “I’ll leave you to get ready to leave.” He moved from the room with an awkward grace- as though he was fighting himself every step of the way.

Then Laura-no, she was Darcy now- began to pack. It was a strangely familiar feeling. At hadn’t been that long since she first moved into the tower. A few weeks? A month? It felt both like a lifetime before and honey a day or so. And now, everything was changing again.

She packed the few things she had that would fit her new body type and a few other essentials.

Darcy lingered over Laura’s items from her old universe- the x-men uniform, the photos, and the old letter. These things were important to Laura, defined her even. The x-men, her upbringing, and Logan. All things that didn’t truly exist in this universe. But Laura was reinventing herself with her soulmate and the people she was around.

So then who was Darcy? A cover story? A personality alter that got power? A true separate consciousness? 

She felt real. She acted real. Didn’t have the same right to exist?

She pushed the thoughts out of her head. Now was not time for existential thoughts. Now was the time for packing and making sure she didn’t forget her toothbrush.

As she finished, Darcy a large duffle bag of clothes and essentials with Laura’s memories stuffed in the old backpack.

“Hey Jarvis, where am I supposed to meeting with the crew?"

“Miss Hill is waiting for you at the quinjet. Mr. Barnes is on his way there."

“Thanks J."

Time to get the show on the road.

 


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm SO sorry for abandoning you all summer! I had lots of issues with this chapter, but it's all fine now ;)  
> Now, time for moving the plot forward.

The quinjet ride was long and quiet. Darcy and Bucky sat next to each other, hands touching but not yet clasped together. They held a comfortable silence, oblivious to the sounds around them.

Maria spoke as the quinjet landed “Hey you two, I’m about to drop you here. The people here will transfer you to the safe house. You can trust them."

Darcy sharply nodded, feeling Laura start to blend in her mannerisms. Bucky stood still as ever, his arm quietly whirring. As they exited the jet, bags in hand, they were met by numerous armed guards and three women who seemed to be in charge of them.

The blonde woman stepped forward, a kind smile plastered on her face. “I’m Agent Morse, and this is Agents May and Simmons. We’d like to welcome you to SHEILD."

Darcy’s eyes narrowed. Agent Morse seemed like a familiar name. Had Laura heard of her back in her universe? As Darcy continued to look her over, she noticed the batons strapped to her side. Ah, that made sense.

“Your codename was Mockingbird, wasn’t it Agent Morse?"

The agents seemed surprised at this answer. “Yes, it was. Have we met before?"

Darcy shook her head. “No, but I knew of you. A different you."

Morse and May exchanged a look- bewilderment maybe? - before Agent May spoke up. “As interesting as this all is, follow me. We would like to get you on your way as soon as possible."

Bucky was moving stiffly as they were led to the quinjet. His muscles were tensed and his eyes were watching the agents very closely. Darcy watched just as closely. She had never heard of Agent May, but mockingbird seemed to be subconsciously deferring to her, which meant that she had to be just as dangerous.

Once the group of five was loaded in the quinjet and May took the pilot’s chair, Agent Simmons began to explain the situation.

“We are bringing you to a safe house in Minnesota. It’s a lovely little cottage in the countryside, with nobody around for miles."

Bucky seemed to relax slightly at that, but he still seemed very uncomfortable. Darcy put her hand on his, squeezing it lightly.

Agent Simmons continued to ramble on, and it soon became apparent that she had no idea who she was escorting. She had no filter, especially once she had begun talking about hydra. But once she got a little too close for comfort, Mockingbird interrupted.

“So Darcy, how do you know me? My codename isn’t exactly common knowledge."

“I come from… somewhere else. Everything there is a little bit different from here. There, you were a member of the Avengers."

Her only expression was a raised eyebrow. “And when you say somewhere else…"

“I come from a different Universe."

Agent Simmons’ hands flew to her mouth. Mockingbird seemed to be in an outright state of shock. “How is that even possible?"

Darcy shrugged “There are large amounts of people with countless types of powers. I angered someone with the power to send people to other universes."

“Powered people are common where you come from?"

“Relatively."

The agents attempted to ask her a few more questions but Darcy remained silent, keeping her hand on Bucky’s. He relaxed as time passed, but he was still clearly in ‘Winter Soldier’ mode.

And after a few hours they landed in the countryside. Bucky was the first one off the quinjet; clearly moving quickly on making sure the area was secure. Mockingbird was close behind him, seemingly observing him.

Darcy took her time stepping off the jet, allowing herself the chance to feel the sun on her face and grass under her feet. It was nice and calming and utterly unfamiliar.

Once Bucky returned, Darcy grabbed her bag and entered the safe house. If she didn’t know better, she could have confused it for your average Midwestern home. There were two floors with a rustic wooden-looking exterior with a barn out back. She was then told that the barn held weaponry designed specifically for level 9 and up Agents.

After a final brief interrogation by Agent Simmons that was answered vaguely (Do you have any powers? Yes. What can you do? Stuff. Where did you get your training? Places.), the Shield agents left them alone.

It wasn’t long before Darcy found herself on the couch next to Bucky. She could a feel an unspoken tension in the air.

“I feel like we should really get to know each other. There’s this weird soul mate attraction and neither of us really know how to act on it yet."

Bucky nodded, looking pensive. 

“I am not sure that I am ready for the intimacy that is expected of a soul mate."

Darcy let out a small laugh. “Oh that’s a relief. I’m-Laura is-“ Pausing, Laura let out a sigh as she took control again. “I am Demisexual. I do not feel sexual attraction unless an emotional bond is present. Our soul mate bond has definitely increased our emotional connection, but the sexual attraction is not yet present."

He raised an eyebrow, “But what of Romantic attraction?"

“Present, but largely so."

Bucky nodded and leaned back against the couch, seemingly processing that information. “I think I remember someone like that from before the war. She was a nice girl, lived down the street. I forget her name. Nia, maybe."

“I discovered it when I worked as a prostitute.”

Bucky turned his head sharply, anger burning behind his eyes. “How?"

“It was right after I had escaped the facility. I had no one guiding me, and I was conditioned to take orders. A pimp found be and made me his prized whore. I later killed him."

Laura’s eyes turned to the ceiling. “I was only 15 years old. I thought I was broken. I thought that the facility had created me unable to love. I feared I had no soul. But this world has proven all of those things wrong."

Another pause.

“What is your favorite food?"

Bucky shrugged. “I don’t know yet. I haven’t been able to try much yet."

“I prefer spicy food. I should make you some, so you may try it."

“I would adore that Doll."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next Chapter: Fluff and Retcons (probably)  
> Also, make sure to check out the new entry into this series: I Just Want You To Know That I Did It For You. It's a collection of deleted scenes/original drafts, and I'm going to be uploading part of the first draft of this chapter at some point.


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